When it came time to rank the state's top high school basketball teams this week, it became clear there were two distinct layers: A top five that featured zero changes while Nos. 6 through 10 experienced nearly wholesale changes.

With limited action for most teams over the next week, I won't be updating these rankings until the Jan. 5 or 6. But you can keep up with the developments in the Free Press sports section and keep the discussion churning in the comments section.

This week's rankings:

1. Rice (6-0): Six games into the season and the Green Knights remain the team to beat. Rice is putting up 73.2 points per game and winning by a comfy average of 27.8 points a contest — and that's including the narrow, five-point win over rival Burlington. Last week: 1.

2. Burr and Burton (5-0): Since breaking out for 30 points against Middlebury a week ago, senior guard Joey Shehadi put up 26 and 28 in BBA's last two outings, wins over Hartford and Fair Haven. And like Rice, the Bulldogs are winning big (26.4 ppg margin of victory). As if their head-to-head meeting in New York on Saturday wasn't intriguing enough... . Last week: 2.

3. Burlington (4-1): After dispatching Mount Anthony early on Tuesday night — the Seahorses were up 22-5 eight minutes into the contest — Burlington is off until hosting Rutland on Dec. 30. Last week: 3.

4. Mount Mansfield (5-0): The Cougars scraped past South Burlington on Monday night to reach the quarter pole unbeaten. But the bar is raised in their next four games: Essex (Monday), a long trip to Bennington to meet Mount Anthony, then St. Johnsbury and a championship rematch with Rice (Jan. 9). Last week: 4.

• BONUS COVERAGE: Since it's the end of the year, what better time to reshare one of my favorite Vermont sports moments of the past 12 months on Twitter? Thanks go to @vtsportsimages and the fantastic, creative MMU fanbase that printed Fathead posters of players (Sean Springer, Tinga Adiang, Kyle Adams), coach Jeff Davis (not pictured) and Davis' son.

5. Rutland (4-1): Should the Raiders prevail in their first road game of the season this Tuesday at Burlington — and that's not a stretch, they've been on a roll since — expect the next batch of power rankings to take a different look. Last week: 5.

6. St. Johnsbury (2-2): Last week's 10th-place ranking was as much a product of the Hilltoppers limited resume as anything. Their record since includes two close wins over Brattleboro — the most recent more impressive (if uglier) without star guard Tristen Ross — and a loss to Rice in which St. Johnsbury showed long-range marksmanship with 10 3-pointers. Last week: 10.

7. Essex (4-2): The Hornets drop a spot after a loss to Rice and a 54-45 win over Mount Anthony in which they benefited from 40 free throw attempts, holding off the Patriots by making 23 of them. Their schedule starts to heat up, too, with St. Johnsbury coming to town Saturday, then games against MMU and Burlington. Last week: 6.

8. Randolph (4-0): Fending off Winooski by five and cruising past Mount Abraham on Tuesday night, combined with BFA-Fairfax's tumble from the rankings and Spaulding's losses, help the Galloping Ghosts pick up a spot this week. Last week: 9.

9. Vergennes (5-0): The Commodores vault into the top 10 after their win over BFA-Fairfax in a battle of unbeatens on Tuesday night, extending their own charge out of the gate. Josh Lorraine and Adam Gill came up big as Vergennes rallied late, outscoring the Bullets 17-9 in the final frame. Last week: Bubble.

10. Spaulding (3-2): Back-to-back lopsided losses, in the Crimson Tide's first two big tests of the season (Burlington, Rutland) cost them ground this week. Last week: 8.